Tag Archives: health

As promised, here are my Non-Scale Victories and daily recaps. If you want to read why I am doing Whole30, click here. If you want to research what it is, click here. I’m feeling AWESOME! I took a picture on Day 1 and I can already see so much change in my body in just 10 days.

Day 6: Waking up without any headaches or sugar withdrawal these days! I have to tell ya, my dry skin is becoming more and more a thing of the past! I am still a bit flaky, but I’m noticing a correlation between avocados and my skin. The more I eat, the less dry I am. Dinner: Crockpot chicken, sautéed brussels sprouts, and baked potatoes.

Day 7: Today was a rough one for me. I was cramping like crazy…….so I’m not going to recap the day physically. I am calling this one for what it was: being a woman. But I will say I only experienced cramping for one day! Dinner MUST MAKE: Egg Roll in a Bowl. I got coconut aminos at Whole Foods, but you can order them here. Husband approved.

Day 8: Feeling much better today! My anxiety is at an all time low. There’s a certain “buzz” that I normally feel, and a tightness in my chest. That’s fading. I find myself not worrying about the future or uncertainty like I usually do. Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie. This one was difficult to make and, honestly, I probably won’t make it again. We didn’t LOVE it. But we did have leftovers for lunch!

Day 9: My clothes are fitting so much better. My low abs are starting to make themselves known! Nothing crazy to report, other than Whole30 is starting to feel normal. It’s becoming easier to just stay on track and not think about it so much. BEST Dinner yet: Cracklin’ Chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli. OMG. I can’t handle how delicious this was!

Day 10: My workouts and teaching energy are off the charts! I feel strong. Tonight was probably the hardest it’s been to stay positive, because we went out to eat for the first time. I called the restaurant ahead to ask what they cooked their meats in and made sure they didn’t use any oils I can’t have. Dinner: Greek salad with grilled chicken and lemon/oil dressing! (I ended up having a boiled egg and apple when I got home- they were cheap on the chicken!)

That’s all for now, folks. I think I’ll wait 10 more days for another update. We are road-tripping to Indiana, so I’ll be able to include some travel tips. 🙂

I’ve been a pretty healthy eater for about 3 years now. I work out 6 days a week and am overall happy with where I am physically. I eat fast food maybe twice a year, indulge in a soda every couple months, and try to limit my pizza intake to very rare occasions. I’m NOT one of those girls who can eat bread and cheese and pasta every day and stay looking fit, even with my level of exercise. It ain’t gonna happen.

But even though I thought of myself as a pretty healthy eater, I knew that I wasn’t getting the proper amount of vegetables and healthy foods in my diet. I was good at cutting things out, but not so good at putting them in. And let’s not even get started on alcohol…

Better yet, let’s do. My husband and I loooooove an after dinner cocktail. It’s our hobby! And we have a blast. There’s nothing I love more than plopping down on the couch with him, under a blanket, sipping my vodka/soda/lime, and watching The Office. But why did I feel the need to do that after every dinner? (Because it’s fun! That’s why! But it’s not healthy…and not so fun every morning.)

Cut to Whole30. I’d been hearing about it from friends for awhile and had done a little research. No dairy, no grains, no added sugar, no alcohol. Okay. I can do this. Then I started reading a little bit further. It’s not really about cutting things out (although you do that), it’s about changing your meal patterns and your relationship with food.

For a long time, I thought I had a great relationship with food, and that’s because it used to be much worse. Back in college and a few years after, I had little to no control, and I think that largely had to do with my lack of exercise. These days, I know when to stop eating, but I’ll be the first person to grab a few handfuls of tortilla chips or melt some cheese on something when I run in the house starving.

Whole30 focuses on eating specific types of meals, three times a day. (More if you exercise.) Without snacking. You fill up on the right types of foods during mealtime, so you don’t need to snack. I’m not an expert, so I’ll leave it to you to research the specifics of Whole30, but I do want to share my victories with you, just in case you decide to take the plunge and try it yourself.

So I’ve decided to share my experience as well as my NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) every five days. I’m on Day 5 now. Here we go:

Day 1: Woke up feeling charged and ready to go. Shopped for groceries and meal prepped for the week. Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Casserole (SO GOOD.) Tip: Cut up all your veggies on Sunday and put them in tupperware so you can just grab at mealtime. Hard boil eggs. Crockpot lots of chicken breasts.

Day 2: Woke up with a major headache. Looking back, I think it was a sugar withdrawal. Disappeared by the end of the day. Felt great at night! Dinner: Spaghetti Squash with Whole30 compliant Marina and Homemade Turkey Meatballs.Drank kombucha in a wine glass!

Day 3: Another major headache. It only lasted through the morning! I was kind of grumpy after dinner. I think it’s because I usually have a drink or a snack to look forward to and now I don’t. Realizing my emotional connection to after-dinner treats runs strong. Looking forward to kicking that habit! Dinner: Steak, roasted baby potatoes, roasted asparagus.

Day 4: No headache! Yay! I was great all throughout the day and then my dragon came to play before dinner. My poor husband. I never knew the true definition of hangry until today! I was soooo determined not to go to bed hungry that I added diced, roasted sweet potato to my dinner on a whim. It worked! Went to bed (at 9:30pm, lol) full. Dinner: Steak fajitas (no tortilla) and roasted sweet potato.

NSVs: My dry, dry, dry skin is only a little dry right now! My face is barely peeling. Someone told me today they noticed my skin was better. I have SO much more energy when I teach Pure Barre. I almost fell over today after the thigh section because my energy level was so high. Ha! I’m already less bloated. I notice that my lululemon pants fit better. I bet I’ve lost a couple pounds, even though I don’t really weigh myself. I see more tone in my arms and abs. I’m getting more sleep.

FYI: For lunches and breakfasts, I stuck to the Whole30 recommendation of a protein (egg, compliant sausage, chicken, salmon, meatballs, etc), a fat (avocado, guac, olives, ghee, olive oil), and tons of veggies. The Tessamae’s Ranch came in very handy with raw veggies! I also ate a lot of leftover dinner meals and used hardboiled eggs and the turkey meatballs for my pre and post workout protein. La Croix and kombucha have been great at night when I feel like I need a fun drink. Hoping to kick the kombucha desire at night and stick with La Croix only, for the most part. That’s it for now! I’m going to post my day summaries, recipes, and NSVs every five days. Feel free to reach out to me personally if you have more specific questions.